Nationwide — Tianna Williams, the African American owner of Automo-Deals Inc. in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, says a bank’s fraud accusation derailed her fast-growing car dealership. She filed a lawsuit claiming the investigation froze her funds, drove lenders away, and ultimately shut down her business.
Williams built her dealership from scratch. She started flipping cars as a teenager and later focused on helping buyers with limited or damaged credit. By early 2023, her Easton-based business reached a major milestone, posting more than $1 million in sales after she secured a finance license that expanded her lending options.
That success caught the attention of a local M&T Bank branch manager, who visited Williams at her dealership and pitched a business account and a lower-interest credit line. Williams accepted the offer, deposited roughly $35,000, and applied for a $100,000 line of credit to support continued growth.
Just days later, Williams discovered her new account had been frozen without explanation. According to the lawsuit, a bank investigator flagged her deposits as suspicious and opened a fraud investigation, even though the funds included a customer payment and money from a well-known auto finance company.
According to Atlanta Black Star, the complaint says the investigator went further by contacting Williams’s third-party lenders and telling them she was under investigation for fraud. One lender allegedly alerted customers and encouraged them to report Williams, severing key financial relationships her dealership relied on.
More than a month later, the bank determined no fraud had occurred and restored access to the account. By that point, Williams says the damage was irreversible. Lenders had pulled out, revenue collapsed, and Automo-Deals soon had to close its doors.
The lawsuit, filed in March 2025, accuses the bank and its employee of interfering with her business and failing to properly supervise the investigation. The case is currently on hold as both sides pursue mediation.